Almost the new year...

It's late in the evening of 29 December 2009.  Not the greatest of years but certainly not the worst. 

Thankfully we now have a President who seems to cherish peace above war; now he just needs to figure out how to make that happen.  I'm not very realistic; I'd just tell everyone that we were leaving and about a week later it would be a fact.  Can't do that in the real world, I know, but I'd sure like to try it.  Blow up about $10B worth of shit so it would only be good for scrap metal and "see ya". 

Actually, I think that would be almost the best thing we could do.  Over on Lee's religious blog he talked about why he wasn't surprised about the guy who tried to blow up a plane on Xmas.  It really made sense to me - check it out:  http://theeggbox.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-am-i-not-surprised.html 

We, I mean the U.S., are treating this like a 'police action' but that's not what the Arabs think it is, they think it's a Christian invasion of their lands.  Isn't that obvious to anyone open to a thought?  Jesus A Fucking Christ, that asshole fundamentalist Christian G. W. Bush has gotten us into one war that has, to almost anyone, limited viability; one war that has none at all; and has us on the edge of invading yet another Arab country - this time for no reason whatsover except that they might actually use nuclear energy for... electricity!  When are we going to be rid of the legacy of GWB?  My guess is in about 150 years.  What an asshole.  I only hope that he goes out and digs a big hole in the Texas dirt and holding Dick Chaney in his arms, is struck by lightning and they fall into the hole, dead, becoming part of our nation physically!  After all, isn't "dirt to dirt" part of their belief system?  And if they are right and there is a God, I'm pretty sure they'll both be shoveling coal for a LONG TIME.

Yah, I'm gonna quit this joyous if unlikely line.  Have a wonderful New Year if I don't get back. 

I have seen war.... I hate war.  Sam Rayburn

Merry Christmas and all that jazz.....

Haven't blogged in a while; not because nothing happened but because I was a lazy sod.  Yeah, I know, what's new about that!  We've been having weather in the valley.  It has rained a couple of days; we are probably well on our way to that 4 inches (10 cm) that we are supposed to get.  There were snow flurries one day as well but nothing else that stuck. 

Went to Vegas a couple of times doing the Xmas present thing.  I do like buying things for people; maybe I should just start doing it because I like it.  It would certainly make people wonder what I was up to!  The pass was clear both times but the sanding trucks were out so I need to get the car washed.  Don't you just love a white car?

My wife and I agreed that we've been spending money like drunken sailors so we'd take it easy on Xmas.  We went out together and bought each other a couple of things to put under the tree - useful stuff, like shirts that we actually like.  LOL  It worked pretty well I think so maybe we'll have to try it again next year.  I did sneak in a surprise present for her but that's just for fun. 

Our daughter will be here (from Vegas) but that's the Xmas party.  Son & his lady can't make it; maybe next year but I'm not holding my breath.  They seem to have a good relationship and enjoy being alone.  If that works for them, that's all that is important.  Daughter doesn't have a guy in her life right now so being with us works for her.  Therefore, it works for us all.  She is planning on staying two nights; we'll see if she can stand being with us that long! 

Xmas eve is Mexican night (in honor of my father-in-law) around here.  Enchiladas and margaritas will be the order of the day.  Xmas is ham.  Bought a nice pinot noir to go with it.  We looked around for a prime rib but finding prime is difficult.  The markets have choice grade but not prime so we decided to skip it.  We have a good recipe for the ham, it's easy to find and reliable.  Who needs more stress at this time of year. 

Next week it a time to do some rebalancing in the portfolio.  It's been quite a year for the markets.  I'm thinking of shifting a bit more into bonds if I can find a good fund.  Some of the fund managers seem to be even more inept than I am!  I'm keeping more money in stocks than most advisors would suggest but I think that I'm looking at a 30 year retirement (ok, I'm being optimistic about living that long but why not?) and going into fixed income is just a recipe for being really poor when I'm over 80.  Who wants that?

Gotta go.  Have a Merry Christmas and try to stay out of trouble!

"At Christmas play and make good cheer,
For Christmas comes but once a year."
Thomas Tusser

A picture is worth.....

Hooray for the self-shoveling sidewalk!

Found a list I like!

Seven things that are hard to do:
1)  Not to post really rude comment on the blogs of all these idiots who have an 'imaginary friend' in Jesus - or whoever! 
2) Not to point out that some idiot blogger is being ripped-off/taken-advantage-of/made-a-fool-of.
3) Remember the basic rules of English - it's not easy to write correctly - much less well(!) and I'm sure I make many mistakes.
4) I'm trying hard not to go nutso about all the assholes, media 'artists' and companies who think Spanish is a second language here.  I wish I was multi-lingual, honestly, but it's not about that.
5) The 2nd Amendment is important to me and I support it totally but it really isn't about full-automatic 50 cal. weapons.
6) The people writing the constitution were all mostly Christian but they intended this country to be open to all religions or to people of no religion at all.  So shut the F&*K up about "under God"!
7) The news media is so full of idiots!  I'd love to dump them all in the ocean except that the oceans would probably overflow the land masses to about the 2000 foot level!  Could I at least throw Rupert Murdock in?  Pretty please!

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose"  (As recorded by Janis Joplin)
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON & FRED FOSTER

An amazing place

A week ago or so I finished reading Bill Bryson's book 'In a Sunburned Country' about his love for and travels in Australia.  Bill is a cross between a travel writer and a humorist and if you haven't tried his books I can recommend them.   Here's his Random House site.  He spent a lot of time and money visiting down under and seems to have really enjoyed his stay.  Only in one city did he find people he didn't like!  (Refreshing  because the only person I know who's been there thought the people were awful but then again I think the guy who told me that is an idiot.)  Bryson is an interesting guy:  born in the US, spent most of his adult life in England.  I found him originally when he wrote a sort of travel-log of the US from his peculiarly US-English background.  The thing that he keeps repeating about Australia is what I keep noticing about Nevada - there's a lot of not much out here.  Only in Australia, there is more of less - if you know what I mean. 

People are getting ready for Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, and probably other holidays all over the world.  Leaves me a bit cold as an atheist but I do like a party.  We send Christmas cards to the older relatives and we have a special dinner and even a tree.  The tree, of course, predates Christianity and we skip all the angels but it certainly does have Christian connotations these days.  We exchange gifts; after one's childhood I expect most of us prefer to give than to receive.  Certainly I do.  Every year I give either money or food to the food bank; this year I think I'll have to find a few toys as well.  There are plenty of poor people in our valley.  So following on the Thanksgiving holiday, let's all be as generous as we can for this special time of year.

Come, yea thankful people, come
Raise the song of Harvest-home;
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin.  

Henry Alford

Help for the confused.

Here's a roadmap just in case you don't know what church you should be attending.

It almost makes me believe.....

It's a glorious morning in the desert!  Woke about 06:30 and took the dog out.  The sun was not yet up; hidden by the mountains to the east.  In the west, above the rocky mountain, there was a layer of deep blue with a layer of pink above it.  Most unusual.  In the eastern sky light, whispy clouds formed a shape kind of like a human hand in an even lighter shade of pink.  Gradually, as the sun rose, the clouds became white.  The very top peaks of the rocky western mountains became pink; then, slowly, the color seeped down their slopes until they were totally pink.  Finally, the sun rose in the eastern sky turning the pink mountains into yellow ones.  In an hour, they will return to their brown, rocky state but in the morning they are magical.

"The sunshine is a glorious birth"  William Wordsworth

My Ignorance

A couple days ago someone sent me a link to some photographs of an amazing place:  the caves of Ajanta in India.    Here is a link.  They aren't really caves as much as buildings carved out of rock.  The amount of work done to create these building and statues is just mind boggling.  Religion has been responsible for much pain and suffering but it has also been the catalyst for some magnificent art.

The whole web site, http://www.shunya.net/ is amazing.  I know so little of this part of the world.  The internet can be instructive as well as magical.  Have a good one!

"Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world."  Arthur Schopenhauer

Thanksgiving

The American holiday of Thanksgiving is Thursday.  It's always been my wife's favorite holiday so we are preparing; perhaps it is my favorite as well.  Agnostics don't really have a lot of holidays!  Religion seems to bring with it excuses for parties, we just don't have that.  I love my country but the 4th of July just brings memories of idiots with fireworks.  The 1st of the year is ok, I like the 'summing up' aspect of that day;  the year is gone, what can we do with the new year. 

Anyway, I'm in the mood for being thankful.  And I have a lot to be thankful about.  What's the old saying about being "healthy, wealthy and wise"?  I'm 61 and need take no medications to keep me going; we have enough money to live comfortably, and, though I babble at times, I can actually carry on a conversation with people.  So I guess I'm making it.  My wife takes a couple of pills a day but not for anything really life threatening.  Our relationship is great; hopefully better than ever.  Our son & daughter are both employed; making their ways in life.  They have trials and tribulations but isn't that what life is about?  So life is not simply good, it's GREAT!

There is a primal part of me that is almost afraid to say how wonderful life is.  I'm simply afraid that it will end if I mention it.  I know it's BS but... it's there.  I think a lot of people feel it but don't want to admit it; certainly I don't like admitting it!  I think about years gone by; when I was laid off from work or one of us was acting badly or we were worried about something one of the kids was doing.  There were still many things to be thankful about; and I knew it.  Actually, getting laid off was one of the best things that ever happened to me; it got me started in a whole new field.  Hell, I might still be working at Sears if things had gone differently.

The photo is of a sunset last May; the wonders of nature never fail to amaze.

So, I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving even if you don't celebrate it.  Take a moment to find a few things to be thankful about and I assure you, your time will be well spent.  Take care!

"Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks"  William Shakespeare

ETFs - maybe

Back to ETFs, that is Exchange-Traded Funds in English.  Yahoo Finance has a nice write up about them here.

I won't repeat the points made in the Yahoo article but I would like to point out that traditional mutual funds and individual stocks also have some advantages.  Good management in either a mutual fund or in a single company can cause their fund or company to do better than an ETF.  I've heard that some ETFs may be coming out that are managed ETFs (rather than the index type that we mostly see now).  Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing must depend on the expertise of the manager. 

One of the things that I personally like about ETFs is that there are many with a very narrow focus.  I don't care for something like Standard & Poor's 500 Index Depository Receipts (SPY:AMEX) which tracks the S&P 500; going along with the crowd just isn't much fun.  I much prefer somthing like SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) which attempts to track the price of gold or iShares MSCI Japan Index (EWJ) that tracks the MSCI Japan stock market index.  That sort of focus is very difficult to find outside the ETF market.

One type of ETF that especially don't like (for me!) is the type that trys to double or even triple what the market does.  One such ETF is UltraShort S&P500 ProShares (SDS).  "The investment seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, which correspond to twice the inverse of the daily performance of the S&P 500 index." is a quote from the writeup for SDS in Yahoo.  That means that if the market goes down 10%; SDS trys to go up 20%.  Unfortunately it also means that if the market goes up 10%; SDS will try to go down 20%.  This sort of investment may work for investing professionals but for those of us who don't watch the markets minute-by-minute I think it is downright dangerous. 

Do I own ETFs?  Yes.  I've got a couple that focus on certain parts of the market.  Will I ever go 100% ETF; of course not but I may get up to 25%.  I always follow what I wanted to attribute to Ben Franklin but apparently I was wrong.

"Moderation in all things."  Terence c190-159BC in Andria(The Lady of Andros)

ETF madness

We've had money in traditional mutual funds for a long time.  For example, when I started working for a new company in 1988, one of the funds available in their 401k was Fidelity's Contra (FCNTX) and I still own those shares.  It's not like I intentionally invest for the long term but 20 years certainly isn't short term!

My basic philosophy is to save as much as you can then invest in something that you expect to be more valuable in the future.  I figured that whatever I bought at forty would be more valuable when I was sixty.  (Of course I'm not talking about a six-pack of  beer that didn't make it past my fortith birthday!)  It isn't really a difficult thought!  So I bought some stocks and some mutual funds and we did ok.  Let's face it, folks, this isn't rocket science. 

The folk who are objecting at this point are the ones who just started investing about two years ago.  You can hear the howls "I bought XXX  in 07; look how I'm doing!"  Well, I feel for you.  I bought Armstrong Flooring not long before the company went under due to asbestos claims.  I bought Thornburg Mortgage before the mortgage debacle. Back in 1974 I bought IBM just before the market crashed.  Trust me; worse things will happen to you.

Invest in the market; invest broadly; read about the companies; then read the papers & pay attention:  you will be fine.  If I'd read about the asbestos claims; I could have gotten out of Armstrong.  I drank the coolaid about Thornburg being a 'different' company.  More fool me!

So now we have ETF's.  You can buy small sectors of the market or large ones via these products.  Some are managed; some are indexes.  There are a lot of new ways to invest here.  We can talk about them later.

"The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds."  - Walter Duranty

Getting chilly in the desert

All of a sudden it seems it's cold - a few degrees of frost every night and we had fairly heavy snow on the mountain a couple days ago.  It's mostly melted by now but it'll be back.

About this time we all start thinking about the holidays.  For us in the U.S. Thanksgiving is coming up.  It's my wife's favorite holiday; nothing religious but simply family and realizing how lucky we have been.  Today was a minor addition to that luck; our daughter had a colonoscopy and was declared ok.  Even a minor test brings some fear of failure.  I have the results from the MRI on my neck; nothing unusual wrong but it's not like I'm twenty-five any more!

From Thanksgiving to Xmas seems like only a moment.  Not true for children, of course, but it sure goes fast for me!  We don't do much to celebrate (being athiests!); I can only imagine all the pressure that is on the truly Christian among us.  We are continuing our support of the local economy by ordering a cover for our rv.  That sun in the summer is just amazing; leaving the rv out just isn't an option.  Next year we may even leave Pahrump for a while during the worst of the summer but this will protect the rv during the other ten or eleven months. 

I've been thinking about changing the tenor of my blog.  What I do every day is think about our investments and how they are working in the current environment.  I'm thinking about talking a lot more about that process.  Anyone have any comments? 

"Money may be the husk of many things, but not the kernel.  It brings you food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; acquaintances, but not friends; servants, but not faithfulness; days of joy, but not peace or happiness."  Henrik Ibsen

Not going hungry anyway....

Opened the fridge this a.m. and realized that I've been on a cooking spree.  The oldest thing is the tail end of a charcroute garni - sour kraut with potatoes, pork chops and sausage.  Then there is beef barley soup and finally, yesterday, I did carnitas.  Lots of leftovers!

Don't know how Mexican's do carnitas but mine is from a comment left on Epicurious.  The writer was chastising the writer of a recipe and I liked what he said so tried it.  I take a big piece of pork shoulder, cut it up roughly and brown it a bit.  Then add a can of Rotel, a can of chicken broth, a diced onion, several cloves of garlic and seasonings:  ground cumin, chili powder, oregano and curry powder.  I let it cook for a couple hours then remove the meat and shred it, then put it back in the pot.  About this time I tasted it and added a teaspoon of salt and one of red pepper flakes.  Another 10 minutes or so and we had dinner.  You are supposed to dry it out by frying it then eat it in a tortilla.  We just eat it with spoons from a bowl. 

The beef barley soup came about because the store had a special on a large package of sirloin.  We had steak on the barbie one night then had about a pound that we hadn't cooked.  Hmmmm.   Diced it, browned it and cooked it in some beef broth and red wine.  Added some barley and a big bunch of diced vegies.  Yum! 

Hmmm, think I'll go have some soup for breakfast!  Have a good one.

"Our country is the world - our countrymen are all mankind."  William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879)

Travel!

Finally got to go somewhere - only San Diego, CA but it's not bad.  It was a week long trip and will end tomorrow; tonight I'm writing from an rv resort in 29 Palms, CA.

The first two nights of our trip we spent in the Jojoba Hills SKP park not far outside of San Diego.  We love the organization and thought it would be nice to visit the park.  It was ok; much larger than some of the other parks and more elaborate; for example, they have a woodshop for the residents.  It is also out in the middle of nowhere; at least they have a jojoba bush there!

Went on to San Diego.  Visited our son, his significant other (wife in all but name), and the zoo.  Guess that's what we like about San Diego.  Not really, there is a lot more to see but that's all we saw this trip.  We are just getting used to the fact that we can get there in a day; even towing the trailer.  We did enjoy the zoo.  So much so that we are talking about getting season tickets.  They are $129 for a couple not living in San Diego and a daily ticket is $35 for a single person so, why not.  Two visits a year would pay for it; especially since we'd rather be there for two hours a day two days running than four hours on a single day.  That's what we did this time and it was pretty tiring.

We did a certain amount of driving in the California hills.  It was pretty but not always pleasant.  Saturday there were a lot of motorcycles out.  One heading up a pack of perhaps twenty wasn't completely on his side of the road.  If I can keep my truck in one lane I'd like to think that dipshit could keep his bike in the other!  Today we were towing the trailer on a similar road.  I pulled over six or eight times to let people pass.  There is a law saying you must but it's only common sense to let people go; they just get crazy if you don't and that's when the accidents happen.

Also today we visited the Joshua Tree National Park.  Pretty cool!  There are lots of joshua trees (of course) and larger ones than I have seen elsewhere.  There are also just amazing rock formations.  We are ready to come back some time.  It isn't the easiest place to find but it's certainly worth it for us!

Gotta go.  Tomorrow we should make it home.  It's always good to get home.  Take care, y'all!

CYNIC n. A blackguard whose faulty vision causes him to see things as they are, not as they ought to be.  Ambrose Bierce

Just me....

We are the product of our bodies, our life and our times so must all be unique.  I ran across this slightly self-centered little idea at Be A Survivor and thought it might be fun to copy.

Here is what I can definitively say I AM:

I am a 61 year old married white male.

I am a conservative on some issues; liberal on others; not usually rabid about anything.  I remember thinking Kennedy would destroy our nation; then, later, that Reagan would.  Now I am simply glad that I was wrong both times.

I am more in the Libertarian camp than with major parties on most issues and that simply stems from my belief that the government will screw most things up if given the opportunity and are therefore better to not be involved in the first place.  Here's a favorite political writer, now retired, who at least makes me think!

I vote in EVERY election whether it is Federal, State or Local in nature (religiously).

I do not believe that the U.S. is the only country in the world worth living in however it is where I was born and most likely it is where I will die.  I might move if things get too totally stupid here.

I am an athiest.

I am a retired business person (IT), I worked in the business world for several big corporations, who believe it or not treated me quite well.

I had a 401k and a couple of IRAs, yes and I put as much money in it as I could. There is are two phenomenon called dollar cost averaging and the time value of money.  I believe in them both.  I still have
faith in Capitalism but not the purest variety - see Standard Oil and the Rockefellers.  BTW, I retired at 50.

I would like to be a HAM radio operator. It's one of those 'find the time' things.

I am a card carrying member of the National Rifle Assn.  I would like to spend more time at the range but I'm not a hunter.

I am a college graduate; two degrees in fact.

I can balance my checkbook but still can't juggle worth shit!

I drive a pickup truck but I don't have a rifle rack in the back window. I do have a survival rifle (.22 cal) stowed in the cab.  I have a CB too but have only used it to listen to NOAA weather forecasts.

I have had Concealed Weapons Permits from Florida and Washington; I intend to get one for Nevada but....

I procrastinate!

I drink alcohol daily, probably too much, but it has never been an issue for me. My preferred poison is either red wine or scotch on the rocks.

I have never had a flu shot; don't intend to this year... received ALL of my childhood vaccinations of course. I was also in the Army and they certainly believe in vaccines!

I enjoy long walks on the beach and candle lit dinners; but only with certain people.

I love to read and watch movies (nothing too violent, bloody or just plain stupid).

The only sport I follow is Formula 1 Motor Racing.

I have always been a bit of a loner and I really like it that way. I don't have a "best friend" other than my wife.
To be honest she is the only other person whose company that I TRULY enjoy and even she gets on my nerves sometimes!

So, there I am; at least some of me.

"Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing and exact man."  Sir Francis Bacon

Free plug: I love The Economist

We've been receiving The Economist on and off for a few years.  It describes itself as a newspaper; here in the U.S. it would be called a news magazine because of it's format.  Regardless, I love reading it.  It's only drawback for me is that I have difficulty finding the time to read it all.  Yep, even old retired guys have time constraints. 

Today I discovered a great part of their website:  the style section.  Not only do they do a great job of suggesting ways of improving one's writing, they do it with, ... wait for it..., style.  Sorry, couldn't help myself!  Spicing things up are some of the quotes from great writers:  "In general, be concise. Try to be economical in your account or argument (“The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out”—Voltaire)."  My God, how I wish some people I know would read and take to heart that quote from Voltaire!  The only section that troubles me is the part insisting on British spellings:  labour, etc.  But that is a quibble.  It is, of course, a British publication. 

What I like most about it is that it covers the entire world.  American news magazines are too U.S. centric for my taste.  I like hearing what is happening in Uganda or Ecuador; I like reading about Renault's business even though they don't sell cars in this country.  The world is getting smaller by the minute and I want to know as much about it as my limited intelligence will let me grasp.

One last quote from the style section:  "Keep complicated constructions and gimmicks to a minimum, if necessary by remembering the New Yorker's comment: “Backward ran sentences until reeled the mind.”"

Is it me or you?

I'm back after playing host to visitors since last Wednesday.  My wife's brother & his wife stayed with us for a few days on their way back to the NW.  We had a really good time.  They are different; more widely traveled, more educated than the rest of the family.  He was a career naval officer; she is a published poet.  Nice people.  We didn't do much on Wednesday afternoon; spent most of Thursday visiting Death Valley; and checked out Pahrump on Friday.  Our daughter came over from Vegas Friday to see them and spent the night.

This morning, our daughter left by 06:00; I was just up and she tried to get out without even seeing her mom.  Didn't make it but she was anxious to leave.  The BIL & SIL were up soon after and packed and ran out of here certainly before 07:30.  So, my question is this:  does everyone haul ass out of here because they want to or because they sense we want them gone?   Hmmmm.

This brings up a raft of motivations on both sides; I doubt we'll ever resolve all this and really I doubt if I would have the guts to bring it up.  Some of our feelings are:
- we feel guilt about wanting them gone
- we feel selfish about wanting to be alone.
Their feelings may include:
- they have a long journey and may wish to get started
- they may want to be alone themselves
- they may sense our desire for them to leave.

How do you feel when people leave?  Relieved or sad; or both? 

"It was a delightful visit - perfect, in being much too short."  Jane Austen (in Emma)

The view out my window.....

It's not everyone who has two people walking their burro past their window! Distance maybe 1000 yards; gotta love that Canon S2 IS!

I've been quiet again....

No particular reason but I just haven't been here. I'm reasonably certain that the pinched nerve in my neck has something to do with the amount of time I spend on the computer so I've been trying to cut that down to something 'normal'. Ha! Like I can ever be normal!

The only thing that's got my attention lately is Mr. Obama being given the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm not really against it; certainly he brought a whole new face to the way the U.S. is interacting with the rest of the world, but I'm not certain I like him being recognized at that level for what he has done. As many others have pointed out; it's an award based on his potential. At any rate, here's hoping he can earn the darned thing.

We took the trailer back to the dealer with a couple of warranty problems and I must say it was a great experience. They did the work promptly and without a bit of hassle. Of course, we are using the dealer who sold the unit. If it had been sold by someone in Florida, there might have been some paperwork foolishness. Still, full marks to Johnnie Walker RV in Las Vegas.

One of my favorite bloggers, lawyermom, points out that I might get into trouble for saying something nice about the rv dealer. Well, all I can say is that I didn't get any compensation for that plug. Thanks for the heads-up, lawyermom, if they ever offer me a cup of coffee while I'm waiting I'll know to just say 'no'.

Another favorite blogger, RandomRoger, who is supposed to be a financial guy, came up with a reference to a great article on Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. We do watch his show all the time and pretty much drink his coolaid in regard to treatment of our dog. We are nowhere near consistent enough but we try. Turns out that Cesar is one of those illegal immigrants that we don't hear a lot about - a successful one! Go Cesar! And don't forget to pay your taxes, buddy!

Take it easy, it's dangerous out there!

Whew, made it!

It's official, today I'm sixty-one years of age. Yeah, I know, ancient. Got a birthday card that pointed out it's kind of weird celebrating being closer to death. Never thought of it that way before but I guess it's true enough. Actually you could celebrate that every day. Maybe I should!

We have a quiet day planned. I'm probably going to burn a steak on the barbie tonight, I must be getting old; I'd rather eat at home than go out. Nothing against the local eateries, I just don't get that much of a thrill out of going out any more. We went into Vegas yesterday to do some shopping and had lunch at the Chipotle Grill. That's about as exciting as we get these days.

I was reading an rv'ers blog and he talked about a couple where the man would really love to rv full time and his wife is adamant that they have a regular house. It made me thankful all over again that I'm not in a relationship like that. Our relationship, like most, is a lot about compromise; also a lot about reality. For example, we'd like to travel more than we do but we also really like being home. Until I figure out how to be in two places at once I'm never going to be happy! Tough life, huh.

Here's hoping you all have such a tough life. Be careful, it's dangerous out there.

The smallest actual good is better than the most magnificent promise of impossibilities. Macaulay